Human movement within and across national boundaries and continents has been a reality in our current context. Today, migration as a global process, represents both an opportunity as well as challenge. While well-managed migration may foster socioeconomic development and bring about new opportunities in both homeland and host land, its mismanagement can result in risking social cohesion, security and sovereignty. Some of the prominent reasons for migration throughout human history and civilization in all countries have been the wish to enhance quality of life, betterment of one’s economic situation and maintenance of one’s own life and that of the dependents. At the individual level, migration results when people are unable to sustain themselves within their own existing settlements. Often it is aspirational, where the person wish to go for better opportunity. Today, people prefer to migrate in search of better economic benefits, lifestyle and opportunities. Migration are also result of various social-economic, political and environmental reasons such as ethnic and ideological conflict, poverty and unemployment, natural disaster etc. Contemporary development discourses often represent migrants from developing countries as “agents of development” because of the substantial resources that they transmit back home through knowledge, new opportunities, remittances, investments, and philanthropic donations. The process of migration facilitates the transmission of skills and expertise culture, lifestyle and collective memories to new locales. Thus, migration may be regarded as both reality and necessity of the present context.

Scholarship on migration has evolved over the years. Previous academic engagements with migration began in the1970s and 1980s that mainly focused on the lives of diaspora in exile and the resultant loss. Gradually, it started exploring newer meanings and perspectives on human migration and the interplay with various emerging dynamics which are an outcome of advancement in information and communication technology, media, science and technology, networks and methods of knowledge transfer, etc. This development has impacted policies at the national and international level. These developments also enriched the existing scholarship to a great extent.Today, the salience of migration is not just confined in terms of its economic utility. Migrants are no more just economic beings. They have emerged as agents of change and drivers of development in both home and host land. They are also part of the conflicts and political problems in many parts of the globe. There are several new dimensions of migration that require a thoughtful scholarly deliberations. In this context, the proposed conference invites scholars from all over India to address and discuss various issues related to internal as well as international migration.

The three variables, namely, migration, diaspora and development makes the theme even more interesting and relevant as it manages to carve out the interplay between transnational actors like the diaspora and the development processes within the territorial confines of the nation state. India has been influenced by both internal and international migration and its diaspora is presumably the second largest in the globe next to China.

The development impact of both internal and diasporic migrations has come to be conceived in terms of both short and long term, with both positive and negative consequences. The other issues relate to family, economic gains or losses resulting out of migration, knowledge and skill transfers, entrepreneurship etc. In light of the multiple challenges, there is a need for dialogue that can be inter sectoral, interdisciplinary and that involves the multiple stakeholders. The internal migration dynamics that are part of the global migration dynamics also needs contexualisation.

About the Conference

Besides discussing the conceptual issues related to migration and diaspora , the conference shall address various themes such as the following:

Themes and Subthemes:

Emerging issues in scholarship and understanding of migration and diaspora

Migration and Economy

Knowledge Economy and policies towards high skilled labour

Engagement with diaspora through various policy initiatives

Diaspora, Migration and economic development

Diasporic investment and Entrepreneurship

Remittances of both physical and social capital and return migration

Impact and Usage of Remittance

Globalization and changing role of citizenship

Migration Chain

Social, Psychological and Cultural life of Migrants

Refugee and Migration

Migration in and out India

Diasporas in India

Migration and labour, Migration and law

Gendered migration,

Biopolitics in migration,

Regional Dimensions: Cases from Kerala, Punjab and other states affected by international migration

Internal Migration dynamics vis a vis international migration

Outcome:

The conference intends to provide fresh perspectives and better understanding of migration and diasporic issues that will provide new inputs for academic scholarship as well as for effective policy making process in India.

Note: A selection of papers from the conference will be considered for GRFDT Research Paper Series

Important Dates

Last date for receiving abstract

15 October 2015 (completed)

Communicating about selection

5 Novmber 2015 (completed)

Last date for receiving full paper

30 January 2016 (in progress)

Date of Conference

20-21 February 2016

Coordinators: Dr. M. Mahalingam and Dr. Smita Tiwari

Submission Guidelines

Participants

Selected participants will present papers on different issues of migration, diaspora and development in the conference. Participants include students, researchers and scholars from academia, civil society and policy domains.

Participant's Contribution*

(to be covered for conference kits and food during the conference)

Graduate/Postgraduate Students

1000/-

Other Scholars

1500

Due to large number of participants, we have only few number of seats available for non-presenter participants on first come, first serve basis on payment of Rs 2000/- (Two thousand only). Participants may contact the organisers if they want to reserve their seat. The request will be accepted till 30 January 2016.

*Please note: Global Research Forum on Diaspora and Transnationalism is a not-for-profit academic research forum and we are not in a position to assist with conference travel or local hospitality expenses. Covering various cost related to registration fee, accomodation and Travel depends on the sponsorship amount.

Guidelines for Abstracts

All participants are required to submit a written abstract in .doc/x formats.

Format: 1 inch margin, 1.5 line spacing, Times New Roman, 12 font

File name: YOURNAME_INSTITUTION

The document must contain; a) author(s) name/s, b) designation and affiliation as you would like it to appear in programme schedule, c) email address, d) title of absract, e) Abstract in 300 words, f) up to 10 keywords.

All abstracts will be peer reviewed and selected candidates will be invited for final paper presentation. Please use plain text (Times Roman 12) and abstain from using footnotes and any special formatting, characters or emphasis (such as bold, italics or underline). If you do not receive a reply from us in a week, please send an query.

Abstracts or requests for further information should be sent to: nationalconference@grfdt.com